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Egg in a Hole

This month, we're asking food bloggers to share their go-to breakfasts. It's the most important meal of the day, right? First up, this incredible egg-in-a-hole recipe from Molly of My Name is Yeh. Here's how to make it (and she shows how to combine it with avocado toast!)...Egg in a Hole
By Molly Yeh of My Name is Yeh

Toad in a hole, egg in a basket, egg in a hole...you say tomato, I say who really cares when you're discussing a fried egg in the belly of hot toast?

The art of the hole in the middle (as it's called in my family) is in my blood. When an eight-year-old me refused to go near any form of protein, save for baloney and eggs, I eventually got away with eating two of these per day. I never got sick of it. My mom earned her way to Master Hole-in-the-Middle Maker and eventually she passed her wisdom on to me, by way of the tastiest apprenticeship you ever could imagine.

What makes my mom's hole in the middle so good is that she salts it just right, the egg yolk is the perfect amount of runniness for my taste, and whenever she serves it, it's accompanied by a big bottle of hot sauce. She also doesn't skimp on greasing the pan. Salty, runny, greasy, toasty...I'd say that's a timeless key to success.

Recipe: Hole in the Middle (Toad in a Hole/Egg in a Basket/Egg in a Hole...etc.)
Serves 1

You'll need:
A slice of bread
Oil or butter, enough to coat the bottom of your pan
An egg
A good pinch of Kosher salt and a crack of black pepper
Tabasco sauce, optional

What to do:
Cut a 2 1/2-3-inch hole in your slice of bread. Heat a skillet over medium heat and coat the bottom with oil or butter. Toast your bread and its circle on one side until brown, flip them over, and then crack the egg into the hole. I'll sometimes add a tiny bit more oil or butter to the hole right before I crack the egg in if I notice that the pan is dry.

If you want the egg to be extra runny, cover the pan and cook to desired doneness. If you want it to be a bit firmer, cook until the bottom of the egg is firm, and then flip to cook the other side as well.

Season with salt and pepper. Add Tabasco, if using.

Variations:
* Disguise it as pesto toast or avocado toast, hiding the egg under a layer of green goodness.
* Spread pimiento cheese between two thin slices of bread, and then proceed with the recipe as if you were using just one slice of bread. I like using pimiento cheese (or really any cheese spread) because it melts fast and it'll be melty by the time the egg is cooked.
* Use a super thick slice of bread, cook your egg at the bottom of the hole (you won't be able to flip it with this variation), and then fill the rest of the hole up with greens.Thank you so much, Molly!

71 comments:

This is going to be a delicious series to read, I LOVE brunch!! It's by far my favourite meal of the day!!!! I just discovered making Hash Brown cups to then bake the eggs inside of, it's amazing! Look forward to reading more great ideas!! xx MegHash Brown Cups

Thanks for the great recipe! I’ve been making tostadas for breakfast these past few weekends. Avocados, limes, cilantro and sriracha make dreary winter mornings so much brighter! Here’s the recipe: http://districtandmore.com/2014/01/08/breakfast-tostadas/

Tomato-Herb Fritata is so easy, quick, delicious and pretty. Perfect when you want to make a dish that looks impressive for guests:http://itrickedmyselfsillysugaredition.blogspot.com/2014/02/tomato-herb-frittata.html

I could make this for my husband - he'd love it! I won't eat it - I don't eat eggs that are not scambled white and yolk together - unless it's hard-boiled. But, I make a mean fried or sunny-side up egg - I learned how when my kids were young - they called they dippy eggs!

My mother grew up on toad in the holes, but hasn't made me one since I was a child, shes a pretty bad cook and I had less discerning taste back then! I've been dying to make some but wasn't sure where to start... now I shall put toads in holes, with out fear and I think I'll top them with a slice of tomato! this is going to be a fantastic series! Thanks Joanna!

My mom would make these for dinner, actually, on days when she was just too tired to make anything else. For us, they're called 'Smack-In-The-Eye' and I've made them for various kids I've looked after/for myself during uni. So simple, yet so good and always makes me think of home!

Aw, man, you made me tear up with this! (I know, strange)- My dad, who passed away when I was 12, used to make this for me in the morning before I left for school. He used to call it "eggy toast" and it brings back the sweetest memories for me. :)

Love this idea! Love CupOfJo and love Shoko. I want to make this for my little bro (and love the idea of turning to the two cutout rounds into a circular grilled cheese:)xo! Dakota http://dakotabee.wordpress.com/

This has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember! We call it toad in a hole, but no one ever understood what I was talking about, so I'm happy to see someone else knows what's going on! This is a lovely post, great photographs!

I'm LOVING all of the names for this delicious breakfast! We often make these for our kids, and here's a tip if you're going to try it: I use a cup with a 3" diameter to make the hole. I think that's the perfect size to keep the egg from running out of the hole!

I love these! My mom always made them for us on special days (like snow days) when we were little. She called them "Gashouse Eggs," though, which her own mother called them. Maybe because they looked like a gas lamp??

Discovered eggs in a basket when I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade while reading a children's book. I made it immediately after school and never turned back, it was my very first recipe requiring more than one cooked ingredient.

I read this at 10pm and literally three seconds later, went into the kitchen to make one for me and my husband. (Ahh, pregnancy.) And it was so easy to make! Even easier (and actually more delicious) than a fried egg with toast on the side. Thanks for the recipe!!

My aunt used to make these when I stayed over with my cousins. We called it 'toad in the hole' but the English actually use that term for a sausage baked in a Yorkshire pudding - go figure.Oh, and I don't know if you guys know what a crumpet is, but it works even better. You fry the hole for a snack while you're cooking the egg, and the egg white runs into all the crumpet holes - delicious!

I love these!! Esp with a piece of crusty sourdough bread, yum! My husband requests them all the time. We call them eggs in a basket. One of my fav scenes from the movie V for Vendetta is when V makes Evie one for breakfast :)

I made these for my kids for lunch on Friday with the avocado toast and they thought I was a wizard! My brother used to make these for himself- he called it Rocky Mountain Spotted Toast. I have NO idea why. I kind of dig the "One-Eyed Jack", personally!

When I was growing up, my dad would make this for me all the time, but being from Louisiana, we called it "egg in the bread".... And almost like one word: egginthebread. :) He would fry up the little round part with butter until it was crispy....that was my favorite part. We ate the dish with syrup poured all over. Mmm....